


Wrong Number

by dimensionhoppingrose



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: All Human, Alternate Universe, Baby/Fic, Domestic Abuse (mentioned), F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 10:45:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7167929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/dimensionhoppingrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phone calls at 3am from hysterical women aren’t exactly something John Noble is used to. But he’s never been one to turn down a woman in need.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrong Number

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perfectlyrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectlyrose/gifts).



John yawned as he rolled over to his phone ringing. _Donna must be drunk_ , he thought blearily as he groped for his mobile, not even bothering to look at the ID as he answered.

He didn’t get a word out before an unfamiliar voice launched into a tirade. “ _I don’t know what to_ _ **do**_ _, she_ _ **won’t stop crying**_ **,** _she’s been crying for_ _ **hours**_ _Mickey, I haven’t slept in days, I’m_ _ **exhausted**_ _.”_

She finally stopped, and John blinked before saying, “Um…I think you have the wrong number.”

There was a beat of silence, save for a faint crying John could pick up on the other end. “ _Oh my god. Oh my_ _ **god**_ _. I am_ _ **so**_ _sorry, my mate just got a new number, I must have mixed them up, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry_.”

“No, it’s okay, it’s okay!” John said quickly. He felt bad, the woman seemed so frazzled. He could at least try to help. “Um…who want stop crying?”

“ _M-My daughter_ ,” the woman said, voice catching, and John had a feeling she was about to start crying. “ _She’s been crying for hours, I don’t know what’s wrong, I’ve fed her, I’ve changed her, I’ve been holding her and singing to her but she just won’t_ _ **stop**_ _, she didn’t nap today, I haven’t had a break_ –”

She cut herself off with a small sob, and John heard the baby crying in the background get louder.

“Okay, okay, hey,” John said gently, sitting up. “Deep breaths, okay? Take a deep breath, I know you’re tired, I’m sorry. But try to breathe. Talk to me. What’s your name?”

The woman sniffed, trying to calm herself down. “ _R-Rose_ ,” she stuttered after a moment. “ _I’m Rose_.”

“Okay, nice to meet you Rose. I’m John.”

“ _I’m sorry I bothered you_ …”

“Hey, it’s really alright, not like I was doing anything important. What’s your daughter’s name? How old is she?”

“ _J-Jenny. She’s two months_ …”

Oh god, she was a _baby_. “And you said she’s been crying for hours?”

“ _I’m such a shit mum_ ,” Rose said miserably. “ _I never should’ve done this.”_

“Hey, no you’re not,” John admonished her. “You’re just having a bad night. Babies cry. My sister has twins, they cried for three weeks straight when they were about five months old. Drove her half-mad, she left them with her husband and hid with me for a few hours because she was losing her mind.”

That got him a small giggle. “ _You have any kids, John?_ ” She asked, and the crying seemed to get a little closer to the phone, like Rose had picked up the baby again.

“Ha, no. No one is ever gonna wanna breed with me. Were you trying to call the baby’s father?”

Despite not being able to see the woman, John could almost instantly tell he had asked the wrong question. She was quiet for a too long moment before she mumbled, “ _No, he’s…not around_.”

That could’ve meant a lot of things. John decided not to ask. It wasn’t exactly his place, after all. “Got a pair of lungs on her, doesn’t she?”

“ _God she_ _ **does**_ ,” Rose groaned. “ _My neighbors have been complaining_.”

“Are you joking? She’s a _baby_. If they don’t like it they can take a flying leap,” John said fiercely.

“ _She’s just so loud_ …”

“She’s a baby. They can deal with it.”

The baby in question was still crying quite fiercely, but if John wasn’t completely wrong he felt like she had gotten quieter. He was wondering how much of the baby’s anguish had been fueled by Rose’s own panic. He’d spent enough time around Donna and the twins to know babies could pick up on their parents’ feelings.

“Why don’t you try singing again?” John suggested.

“ _Oh, you don’t want to hear that_ –”

“I don’t mind.”

There was a brief pause, and then Rose started singing. It was low, but _lovely_. She had a beautiful voice.

It took nearly ten minutes, but finally the crying on the other end quieted and faded away. “ _Oh my god I think she’s sleeping_ ,” Rose whispered, so quietly John barely heard her.

“Go to sleep, go to sleep!” He whispered back exuberantly. “Get some sleep!”

“ _Thank you thank you thank you_ ,” Rose whispered before the line went dead. John grinned, pleased, as he laid down.

* * * * *

He called Rose back around noon the next day to see how she was doing. It took nearly ten rings for her to pick up, and she sounded sleepy. “ _‘Lo_?”

“Oh god I’m sorry,” John apologized at once. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“ _S'okay, turnabout and all that_ ,” Rose yawned. “ _My mum took the baby so I was just catching up. Listen, I’m really sorry about last night. Like I said, my mate got a new number, he called me earlier, I mixed up the last two numbers…”_

“It’s really alright,” John assured her. “I didn’t mind helping. You seemed really upset.”

“ _Yeah, guess I was_ …” Rose sighed. “ _I haven’t been getting much sleep. She really likes to cry_.”

“Well, go get some sleep now,” John said with a smile. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“ _It’s okay.._ ” She hesitated for a moment before saying, “ _Thank you for last night._ ”

“Of course! If you want you can…call again. I mean, if you need someone to talk at three in the morning anything. I’m usually awake anyways, you caught me on a rare sleeping night.”

“ _Well that figures_ ,” Rose murmured dryly. “ _Thanks, though. I really appreciate it_.”

“Always happy to help.”

* * * * *

John looked up as the bell over the coffee shop door rang. Nope, a man. He sighed, going back to his book.

It had been two weeks since Rose had accidentally called him. They’d talked on and off since then – usually at three in the morning when Jenny wasn’t sleeping and Rose needed company – and he had finally convinced her to come meet him in person. He’d had to send her a bunch of selfies and links to his social media to prove he wasn’t a creep, but that was fair honestly. She _was_ a young mother after all. That was also why he had suggested meeting in a public place.

The bell rang again, and John’s head snapped up to see a blonde woman maneuvering a baby stroller into the shop. He held his breath, waiting and watching as she scanned the shop…then her eyes landed on him and she grinned.

_Oh she’s beautiful_ …

Blimey, down boy! John scolded himself. He just wanted to be friends with her. She was stressed out and needed a friend.

“John?” She questioned as she made her way over to him. “Sorry about the tag along, my mum was supposed to babysit but she bailed at the last minute…”

“It’s alright,” John happily, peeking into the stroller. The tiny baby was fast asleep, little fists clutching a blanket, a knitted hat perched on her head. “She is _far_ too small to be as loud as she is. I don’t believe that’s the right baby.”

“Oh trust me, that’s her,” Rose groaned as she sat down across from John, smiling at him. “She’s the only baby I have.”

“Well she’s a cutie. Just like her mother.”

That part slipped out, and John instantly regretted it. So much for just being friendly. Rose snorted, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, real cute. Haven’t slept in two days, couldn’t even put on makeup before I left. I’m a knock-out.”

“You’re too hard on yourself,” John said as the waiter came over, taking Rose’s order. Jenny stirred in her stroller, and John leaned over to look at her again. She really was tiny – John honestly never would have guessed she was almost three months old. Her eyes blinked open, and she looked up at John with wide brown eyes that almost perfectly mirrored her mother’s.

“Hi,” John cooed, poking the baby’s belly, and she giggled a little. “Well aren’t you a happy little thing. How come whenever I hear you you’re crying?”

“She’s a perfect little angel around anyone else,” Rose said as the waiter left. “Mum says she never has any problems with her.”

“She just saves it all up for Mummy, don’t you sweetheart?” John teased, poking her small little button nose. Rose bent over to dig through the bag under the stroller, coming up with a stuffed teddy bear and handing it to Jenny.

“Enough about that though,” Rose said when the baby was occupied. “Tell me about you. What do you do for a living?”

“Oh, I’m a web designer. Nothing too fascinating. Companies hire me to make their websites look pretty. That’s usually what I’m doing at three in the morning, honestly. I’m a freelancer, work from home and all that.”

“That’s brilliant, though.” Rose sighed. “I’d love to work from home.”

“What do you do?”

She ducked her head at that, blushing a bit. “Just work at a shop. I’m a manager. Nothing too glamorous.”

The waiter came back with Rose’s drink, and they continued chatting. It was, without a doubt, the easiest conversation John had had in a long time.

After about twenty minutes, though, Jenny started crying. “Oh no no no,” Rose mumbled as she unhooked Jenny from the stroller and picked her up, rocking her gently. “No you’re usually good, please no no, it’s okay, ssshhh, ssssshhhh…”

But Jenny, it seemed, wouldn’t be comforted. If anything she cried louder as Rose bounced her, and John couldn’t help but notice how immediately dejected Rose became.

“John, I’m really sorry, I have a bottle in her bag, could you…?”

“Yeah, 'course, hang on,” John said instantly, moving to kneel on the floor and dig through the bag.

“Hey, could you shut that kid up?” The irritable old man sitting at the next table over snapped, and Rose’s face flushed red.

“Hey, she’s a baby. What’s _your_ excuse for being miserable?” John shot back at the man. He glared at her before turning back to his coffee, and John handed Rose the bottle.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, still looking rather put out as she tried to get Jenny to take the bottle. It took a moment but finally Jenny wrapped her lips around the nipple and began sucking, quieting down. Rose’s easy-going attitude was gone – she seemed depressed now.

“You alright?” John asked.

“Yeah.”

That was the most unbelievable utterance of a single word John had ever heard. He sipped his coffee quietly, watching Jenny suck down her bottle. “You’re too hard on yourself,” he said after a moment, and Rose looked up.

“Hmmm?”

“Give yourself a break, you’re trying. And Jenny’s clearly happy.”

“Is she?” Rose muttered, looking back down. “She’s always crying…”

“She’s a baby. They do that, I promise. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad mum.”

Rose stared at Jenny for a long moment before sighing. “My mum thinks I should’ve given her up for adoption. Sometimes I think she was right.”

“Do you wish you had?”

Rose’s head snapped up at that, eyes flashing. “Absolutely not.”

“Then no offense to your mum, but what she thinks doesn’t matter. You love Jenny, and you’re doing a brilliant job I think.”

A small smile pulled at Rose’s lips. Jenny finished off the bottle and snuggled into Rose’s arms, lips puckering into a yawn.

“And she seems perfectly happy to boot. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

* * * * *

“Ooooooooh, who’s Rose?”

John jumped as Donna leaned in behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder and looking intently at his phone.

“None of your business,” John as he shrugged Donna off and grabbed his jacket. She had talked him into babysitting so she and Shaun could go out for a night. They’d just gotten home and he was getting ready to leave.

“New girlfriend?”

“Still none of your business.”

“Are you actually _dating_ someone?” Donna put on a mock shocked expression.

“You really never want me to babysit for you again, don’t you?”

“Oh you say that every time I annoy you.” Donna rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, she was right – it was an old threat, and one they both knew John would never follow through on. He loved his niece and nephew too much.

“So who’s Rose?” Donna asked again as she followed John out to his car.

“She’s just a friend, _blimey_ Donna. Mind your own business.”

“Then how come you had that stupid little smile on your face while you were texting her?”

John pointedly ignored that, climbing into his car without another word and closing the door before she could argue with him.

As much as he hated to admit it, he _did_ have a small crush on Rose Tyler. She was cute, she was funny, she was _so_ easy to talk to…

But she was also completely unavailable. John hadn’t worked up the courage yet to ask Rose what had happened to Jenny’s father. It was none of his business, after all.

Whatever it was, though, it had left Rose completely emotionally shut down. John was just glad he managed to be her friend.

He wasn’t going to ruin it with _romantic_ feelings.

* * * * *

It wasn’t  really that uncommon for John to answer a call from Rose and for it start with, “ _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry_.”

It was a little odd for it to happen at ten in the morning though. Usually it was when she called after midnight. “ _I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I’m sure you’re busy, but I just got called into work and literally everyone else is busy, could you babysit? I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry_ …”

“Hey, no, it’s alright,” John said quickly, already getting up and starting to pack his laptop. “Text me your address, I’ll be there soon.”

“ _You’re a lifesaver_.” Rose sounded ready to cry. “ _Thank you so much_. _”_

They hung up, and Rose texted her address. Amazingly, she only lived three streets over. John finished packing up and headed over.

“That was fast,” Rose said when she answered the door.

“Yeah you don’t live that far away from me.”

Rose let John in, rapid fire explaining. “Jenny’s asleep, she’s got bottles in the fridge, her feeding schedule is on the fridge, you have my mobile number if anything goes wrong, thank you again so much, I’m so sorry–”

“Hey, it’s really alright,” John assured her. “Really, honestly. I promise. Go to work, deal with whatever you need to deal with. Jenny and I can keep ourselves entertained until you get back.”

Rose smiled weakly, leaning up to kiss John’s cheek. “Thank you,” she said again before hurrying out. John checked in on Jenny, who was still fast asleep, and set up his laptop in the kitchen so he could keep working.

He only got half an hour of peace before Jenny started wailing, however. “Heeeeey, sweetie, hey,” John said as he hurried into the room. “Sorry, I know I’m not Mummy, but I’m sure we can have some fun, come on now…”

He scooped her up and rocked her a bit, and she calmed down after a few minutes. “Alright, let’s see….” He found a small play mat folded up in the corner and carried it out into the living room with Jenny, setting up and laying her down before laying with her.

“Ooooooooh, look, look at the little dangly things,” John said with a laugh as he batted at the toys hanging over their heads. Jenny giggled as she reached a tiny hand out to bat at the toys as well. “Yay toys!”

They played for a bit, and John put on a cartoon for Jenny so he could get a little more work done. He did move out to sit on the floor with her while they watching the colorful characters on screen together.

It was a little after five when Rose finally came home, looking absolutely exhausted. By then John and Jenny had moved to the couch, and Jenny was sleeping on John’s chest as he watched TV.

Rose paused at the sight of them, smiling a bit. “You look comfortable. Was she good for you?”

“Perfect angel,” John whispered grin, shifting his legs so Rose could sit at the end of the couch. She collapsed, sighing and rubbing her eyes, reaching over to rub Jenny’s back.

“I’ll move her in a bit if she doesn’t wake up, don’t worry.”

“She’s fine, don’t worry about it.” John brought a hand up to play with Jenny’s wispy hair. She was very likely going to be blonde, just her mummy. “Hey…Rose?”

“Hmmm?”

“Um…what um…what happened to Jenny’s father?” Rose’s eyes darkened, and she looked away. John instantly felt bad. “Never mind, I’m sorry, I–”

“No, it’s okay,” Rose said quietly. “It’s not like it’s a huge secret or anything, everyone else knows. He’s in jail.”

John’s eyebrows shot way up at that. Rose didn’t exactly seem like the kind of person who hung out with people who ended up in jail. “He…wasn’t a great bloke. I thought he was, at first. Thought he was the guy of my dreams, honestly. Charming and all that. We uh…we moved into together six months after we met.”

“You’re _joking_.” John didn’t mean for the shocked exclamation to slip out. He really didn’t. Rose smiled bitterly.

“I wish. But anyways. Turns out he was a drunken bastard. Started hitting me a week after we moved in.” She closed her eyes, and John honestly hated himself for asking. He should have just kept his mouth shut. “Lived with that for about six months until one of the neighbors heard him yelling and me crying and called the cops. They arrested him him on the spot, he plead guilty and he’s spending a few years in jail. When he gets out he’s not allowed near me or Jenny. I found out I was pregnant about a month after he was arrested.”

The baby on John’s chest shifted slightly, and they both fell silent, staring at her, waiting for her to wake up. She didn’t, however, and after a moment John murmured, “I’m so sorry.” Rose gave him a small, sad smile.

“It’s okay. He’s gone now. And he can’t come near me when he’s out of jail or he gets arrested again. Jenny and I are better off without him anyways.”

“Certainly sounds like it,” John agreed. “Good riddance.”

Jenny rolled a bit, and John grabbed her quickly to keep her from sliding off his chest. She yawned, tiny fists curling around John’s shirt.

John was glad Rose had gotten away from her ex. She and Jenny deserved so much better.

* * * * *

It was a rare night Rose had to herself. Her mother was watching Jenny, and for whatever reason Rose had decided she wanted to spend the night with John.

Not that John was complaining. He spent half the day making dinner for them.

“Oh I hope you didn’t go too out of your way,” Rose said when she saw the spread he had put out.

“Hmmm? Oh no, not at all.”

They eat dinner together, telling each other about their days, Rose sharing the twenty new pictures she’d taken of Jenny, and finally they settled down to watch a movie.

John wasn’t really surprised when Rose fell asleep. He knew she wasn’t sleeping well – he’d started noticing that a lot of the time when she called, Jenny was perfectly quiet in the background. And Rose wasn’t fussing over her. Which likely meant she was asleep.

And yet Rose was still awake.

So John let her sleep, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and draping it over her. She curled into the blanket, sighing quietly and shifting to press against John, her head coming to a rest on his shoulder.

God damn it he was pretty sure he was in love with this woman.


End file.
